China’s Busiest Coal Railway Line Suffers Second Derailment in Seven Days

What’s new: A cargo train derailed Monday on China’s busiest coal railway, the Daqin line, the second such accident of its kind on the same route within a week, according to a statement (link in Chinese) published by a local China Railway branch office.

Four carriages on the train were derailed due to heavy rains near Zhuolu station in Hebei province, and no casualties have been reported, according to the statement.

Local railway officials are working to repair the track but it’s not clear how big the impact of the accident will be, Caixin has learned.

The Background: The Daqin railway was temporarily shut down last week after a freight train derailed in an accident along its Beijing section last Monday, Caixin has learned. The railway resumed operations last Tuesday.

The Daqin railway, which connects the coal mining heartland of Shanxi province to the northern port city of Qinhuangdao, transports more coal than any other railway in China. The line moved 227 million tons of cargo in the first seven months of 2020.

China’s railways have seen multiple derailment accidents this year, including passenger trains. On March 30, a train from East China’s Jinan city to the northern city of Guangzhou derailed in Hunan province due to a natural disaster, killing one person and injuring 127 others.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full Caixin article in Chinese, click here.

Contact editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)

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